Cold, snow, icy weather make waterfowl scarce this year

No two ways about it. Cold, snow and ice give waterfowl the boot. The 2013 Christmas Bird Count for the Iowa City area drove that message home.

"We found 64 (overall) bird species, just below our 10-year average of 65 and much lower than last year's record count of 81," local count compiler Chris Edwards of rural Solon said. "Due to the early freeze, waterfowl were scarce this year. We found above-average numbers of Canada geese and mallards, but the only other waterfowl were two trumpeter swans, two common goldeneyes and one redhead."

In mild weather, a variety of late-migrating ducks are here, particularly on the Hawkeye Wildlife Area and Coralville Lake. The count showed 19 waterfowl species in 2012. Weather also dictates whether northern songbirds or raptors move in, or through.

Locally, 31 surveyors split into 11 teams in a 15-mile circle in northern Johnson County. Another half-dozen reports come in from home birdfeeder monitors. Dec. 15 was chosen for the count, within the three-week period prescribed. They tally not only different species but the number of birds, too.

The count is a more than century-old tradition across North America, sponsored by the National Audubon Society. Organizers credit tens of thousands of volunteers for what they term "The longest running citizen-science project on the planet. ? Making a difference for science and bird conservation."

It has been around here since 1951, coordinated now by the Iowa City Bird Club.

Part recreational outing (it includes lunch, afternoon adjustments and is capped by an evening social gathering), it also pays off in the long run. Data collected allow the long-term study of bird populations.

Those feathered ups and downs are reflected locally, too.

"Upland game birds continue to be difficult to find," Edwards said. "We found four ring-necked pheasants, the sixth straight year of single digit counts. Our record-high count was 141 in 2005. We found no northern bobwhite (quail), which has become the norm. They were found nearly annually from 1951-1983, but have been seen on only five counts in the last 30 years."

The count indicates more non-natives, such as Eurasian collared doves (similar to mourning doves) expanding their range. There were 21 collared doves seen, an all-time high, since they were first tallied in 2010.

Several birds of prey came through. There were 65 bald eagles, reflecting the big bird's comeback from near extirpation a half century ago.

A rare wintertime merlin (a small falcon) showed up below the Coralville Dam. Volunteers also tallied 12 rough-legged hawks, a noteworthy Arctic visitor, among the eight raptors seen. Owls get their day in the sun - well, the dark - too. Several birders listened for owls in the pre-dawn. A secretive northern saw-whet was heard in Hickory Hill Park.

Think American robins, cedar waxwings and bluebirds bail out of Iowa for the winter? Birders know that some stick around. The 686 waxwings, 225 robins and 35 bluebirds seen this month were well above average numbers. A rare flock of 45 snow buntings was spied in the Hawkeye Wildlife Area.

Occasionally, irruptions occur in Iowa, often because of lack of food in northern climes. In 2012, large numbers of winter finches and pine siskins showed up across Iowa. Nothing like that this year, though recent reports across the upper Midwest show a growing irruption of snowy owls. A check of a couple Iowa birding websites doesn't indicate any around here, though.

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Cold, snow, icy weather make waterfowl scarce this year

No two ways about it. Cold, snow and ice give waterfowl the boot. The 2013 Christmas Bird Count for the Iowa City area drove that message home.